Optimarin: 10 BWT system order for major Asian shipowner

Ballast water treatment (BWT) specialist Optimarin has secured a fleet agreement for the installation of 10 of its flexible, reliable and environmentally friendly systems with an unnamed Asian shipowner. The contract, covering a group of 6,700 TEU container vessels, was secured thanks to the firm’s retrofit expertise and market proven technology.

The first of the Optimarin Ballast System (OBS) units has already been installed, with two further systems following at the beginning of next year, and two more in spring 2016. Goltens Green Technology, which entered into an agreement with Optimarin last year as a ‘preferred retrofit partner’, will manage all design and supervision from its Singapore office.

“This is a major contract, with a global leader in shipping,” states Optimarin CEO Tore Andersen. “Due to confidentiality clauses we can’t say who it is, but we can say that this firm, like many others we have reached frame agreements with, has chosen our system due to our unparalleled expertise in retrofitting and the reliable performance of our proven BWT solution.”

Optimarin, which fitted the world’s first commercial BWT system in 2000, has now fitted over 270 OBS units worldwide, from an orderbook that has seen over 350 orders placed. The modular, reliable and easy to install and maintain nature of the system has made it the leading retrofit choice for vessels up to 60,000dwt. “Our solution combines simplicity with innovation, utilising a combination of automatic back flushing, self cleaning filters and UV irradiation to neutralise all organisms, bacteria and pathogens in ballast water,”

Andersen comments. “We’ve been developing this technology for the past 21 years and that experience is a compelling proposition for owners and yards that, with the ratification of the IMO’s Ballast Water Management (BWM) convention on the horizon, need solutions that they can trust… and need them soon. “This is particularly true in Asia,” he adds, “where we’re now working with shipowners of the stature of Pacific Radiance, Chellsea and EMAS, while winning newbuild contracts from yards such as ASL Shipyard, Jurong SY, Keppel Singmarine, China Merchant Heavy Industries and Oshima Shipbuilding.” The 10 vessels, each requiring 1000 m3/h system capacities, are managed from Hong Kong and will undergo installation work at Chinese yards. Goltens will use its proven retrofit process, employing precision 3D laser scanning and modelling as the basis for detailed design, prefabrication and streamlined system installation, to carry out the tasks. The two firms are no strangers to one another, having joined forces on nearly 60 worldwide retrofit assignments so far.